News
The changing face of ASEAN
With much of ASEAN stuck in the economic doldrums and its senior members beset with issues ranging from unprecedented levels of corruption to violent insurgencies and maritime disputes with China, the regional bloc has known better days. But from the most unlikely corners of northern ASEAN, a more ...
Alibaba’s presence in ASEAN region will help integrate China, SE Asia markets
Following Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group’s recent announcement of boosting investment and its presence in the market of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, a question comes to mind – can China and Southeast Asian countries integrate each other’s huge consumer markets via e-commerce platform? The ...
Competition and bidding wars between Chinese firms impairs ASEAN trade and investment
Three years ago Chinese Premier Li Keqiang outlined a roadmap for a shared “diamond decade” in the relations between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and pledged to expand bilateral trade to $1 trillion and two-way investment by $150 billion by 2020. Given ...
Push for more investment in CLMV
Despite the strong economic growth of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam, very few Thai companies have sought to capitalise on their economies, say government and industry officials. The Industry Ministry’s Department of Industry Promotion found only a few large enterprises such as PTT Plc, the ...
PM Modi proposes joint task force on extension of India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral highway
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 8 proposed a joint task force on connectivity to work on extension of India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral highway to Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, while also proposing to enhance the ASEAN-India Fund with an additional grant of US $ 50 million. Speaking at ...
European companies plan to up trade, investment in ASEAN
Most European companies will increase trade and investment in an integrated Association of Southeast Asian Nations over the next five years, according to a survey, although many also expressed frustration at existing trade barriers. The 2016 EU-ASEAN Business Sentiment Survey showed that 85% of European respondents ...
PM attends 8th Mekong-Japan summit
Vietnam pledges continued efforts to foster the Mekong-Japan cooperation for the sustainable development, peace, stability and prosperity in the region, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has affirmed. The Vietnamese Government leader made the statement in Vientiane, Laos on September 7 while attending the 8th Mekong-Japan Summit ...
Southeast Asia issues a non-rebuke to China
A summit of Southeast Asian countries issued a mild rebuke of China on September 7 over its expansionist activities in the disputed South China Sea, and indirectly urged it to show restraint and not raise tensions. In a victory for Beijing’s diplomatic, economic and military clout, the ...
Laos launches SDG 18 to make lives safe from UXO
Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon September 8 inaugurated the Lao PDR’s own national Sustainable Development Goal on unexploded ordnance during the ongoing ASEAN Summits. The SDGs have been drawn up by the United Nations as targets for developing countries. Goal No. 18, which ...
Vietnam is struggling to unite its Mekong neighbours against China
Vietnam moved rocket launchers into disputed territory in the South China Sea, reports recently suggested, meaning it could potentially attack land that China has controversially reclaimed. This all comes at a time of heightened tension over territorial wrangling in the region. A Pentagon report released in ...
